GOP primary plan survives a round

PHILADELPHIA (AP)  A GOP plan to hold presidential primaries in four waves, with small states going first in February and large states last in May, was adopted by a panel of the Republican National Committee on Wednesday.

But the proposal, known as the Delaware plan, faces stiff opposition from some of the largest states, and the plan must get over three more hurdles in the next week. The RNC rules committee adopted the plan Wednesday after initially voting for it in Indianapolis in May by a 3-1 margin.

''We've gotten this through two steps, but there are some big gorillas out there,'' said Basil Battaglia, chairman of the Delaware Republican Party. He acknowledged that the opposition of big states like New York and California could sink the plan before it is passed by the full Republican convention.

Iowa and New Hampshire, now first in the nation, would not be given a special exemption to retain their places under the approved plan. New Hampshire GOP chairman Steve Duprey said there was no point in bringing up the issue Wednesday since it was unclear if New Hampshire had the votes to get an exemption and it also was unclear whether the Delaware plan would survive over the next few days.

It will be considered by the full Republican National Committee on Thursday, the convention's rules committee on Friday and, if it survives, it could go to the floor of the convention on Monday.

The Delaware plan was proposed as a way to cope with the cramming of the nominating season into a smaller window of time each election year as states jockey for the media spotlight and money that go with early primaries.

By March 7 of this year, nominees for both parties had won enough contests to settle the issue, leaving two-thirds of the states without a voice.

Ohio has offered a compromise plan that would allow the 16 smallest states to go first and then put the remaining states in groups that are organized by region and would rotate each election year.

Ohio GOP Chairman Bob Bennett said he is offering that plan because the Delaware plan that is currently proposed ''is not going to make it past the floor of the convention.''

''Small states do need a voice and do need to be relevant in the process,'' Bennett said. ''But I understand why the big states are coalescing to defeat the Delaware plan.''

The rules committee also voted to allow flexibility in the rules that would allow it to work on the timing of the primaries, even if nothing is passed during the convention. That flexibility proposal would have to pass the same series of votes as the primary plan.

Democrats have decided to stay with their current system for now, allowing Iowa and New Hampshire to go first and restricting other states to a window from the first Tuesday in March to the second Tuesday in June. Republicans hope their actions could spur movement by the Democrats.

California's GOP executive director Jon Fleischman was urging ''no'' votes on the Delaware plan. He argued that states like California and New York would be in an impossible situation because of the heavy influence of Democrats in their states who wouldn't cooperate with the GOP proposal. He proposed waiting until after the election - assuming a victory by George W. Bush - so Republicans could deal from a position of strength.

But many Republicans feel that something must be done.

''The timing is right because members of both parties have stated on numerous occasions that the current system is broken,'' said Tom Sansonetti, a Wyoming Republican who is chairman of the RNC's rules committee. ''Two thirds of the states did not get to participate this year and it's only going to get worse.''

Members of the rules committee said the Bush campaign has been neutral.